Johnny Herbert has warned that Red Bull could see the internal dynamic shift if Isack Hadjar challenges Max Verstappen during his debut season with the Milton Keynes squad. The French-Algerian prodigy impressed during his rookie year with Racing Bulls, earning a call-up to F1's most volatile hot seat.

Hadjar is now tasked with ending a daunting run of failed Red Bull promotions. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have all tried to take the fight to Verstappen with no success, solidifying the Dutchman's reputation as the series' ultimate team-mate slayer.

When asked about the prospect of going up against the four-time world champion during the 2025 campaign, Hadjar didn't shy away from admitting his concerns and nerves, but now that the promotion has been confirmed, the 21-year-old is opting for an approach that is different to his predecessors.

Rather than adopting a confident exterior that suggests he could beat the sport's most in-form star, Hadjar is demonstrating a realistic approach to his chances. According to Herbert, though, the French-Algerian racer could cause an upset in 2026.

"As we go into 2026, the one person who has really improved since his debut is Isack Hadjar," he told JeffBet. "Now, can Hadjar challenge Max Verstappen? There will be eventually be someone who can challenge Max at Red Bull.

"And when there is someone challenging you in your own team, the dynamic can shift. If Hadjar can come out of the blocks very strong and give Max a headache, that's a twist. Max will fight harder to keep himself ahead of his team-mate.

"I haven't seen Max pushed since he had Daniel Ricciardo as his team-mate, but he's a much stronger and complete Formula One driver now. Hadjar has a tough opportunity that he can't wait to take. If he waited, another generation of Formula One drivers could have taken that second Red Bull seat.

"Hadjar will need to be at his very best and needs to beat his four-time world champion team-mate. This could be the first time in a while that Max has to fight his team-mate and the likes of Lando Norris. There could be a little twist at Red Bull."

Hadjar isn't the only driver preparing for a new challenge within the Red Bull family. 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, driving for Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson. The British prospect faces a daunting challenge adapting to life in F1 after finishing sixth in Formula Two last term.